EASME/EMFF/2017/1.2.1.12 – Sustainable Blue Economy

Co-funded by the EMFF programme of the European Union

The Central Institute for Archaeology (ICA) belongs to the General Directorate Archaeology Fine Arts and Landscape of the Italian Ministry of Culture.

 

It is specialized in studies and research for archaeology and underwater archaeology. In particular, the MiCICA:

  1. Adopts every useful initiative in order to allow the definition and application of guidelines, standards and coordination measures necessary to ensure the development of study and research in the field of archaeology;
  2. Performs, at the Superintendencies and archaeological parks, as well as, possibly, at Italian or foreign subjects, if owners or holders of documentation on the protection of archaeological heritage in Italy, the recognition of the documentation itself, the databases and of the existing archives;
  3. Performs the recognition and the online publication of archives of archaeological data, also in open data format, proceeding to the systematic recovery of previous documentation, also considering a single national system of networking of preventive archaeology, defining in parallel the terms of publishing rights;
  4. Handles the standardization of documentation aimed at both predictive and preventive archaeology, through cartography on any scale, geophysical prospecting, remote sensing, image processing, excavation documentation and territorial recognition, dating methods, monuments survey;
  5. Formulate quality standards for archaeological, digital and paper publishing,
  6. Promotes innovation and methodology in research technologies in applied sciences and documentation information technologies;
  7. Elaborates databases and thematic maps, for the purpose of creating a unified map of archaeological potential on a national scale;
  8. Adopts every useful initiative in order to improve, through the preparation of guidelines on specific topics, to be developed in agreement with Service II – Excavations and protection of the archaeological heritage of the General Directorate Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, Safeguarding, Conservation and the protection of archaeological heritage;
  9. Supports the General Directorate for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape in the coordination of national, foreign and international subjects, both governmental and non-governmental, operating on national territory, in the context of excavation concessions and research projects on the protection of archaeological heritage;
  10. Promotes internationally the role of Italian archaeology, organizing in Italy and abroad specific initiatives, conferences, debates, presentations, seminars, temporary exhibitions and making known through scientific publications the results of the research carried out and the methods of analyses and interventions elaborated;
  11. Provides, within the scope of the jurisdiction actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, technical and scientific advice and support for the subjects assigned to Third Countries.

In October 2017 the Central Institute for Archaeology, the Central Institute for the Unique Catalogue of Libraries and the PIN-VAST LAB of Prato, signed an agreement to create the National Archaeological Geoportal, which will be implemented inside the Ariadne+ platform, recently financed by the European Union Horizon two 2020 program, to extend the experience of the ARiaDNE project, by continuing the construction of a network through which multiple archaeological archives can be reached and connected (http://www.ic_archeo.beniculturali.it/it/222/il-geoportale-nazionale-per-l-archeologia-gna).

In carrying out its research and documentation, the ICA ensures the connection with the other offices of the Ministry and can sign agreements with Italian and foreign universities and research centers, with the Italian Archaeological School of Athens and with the School of Cultural Heritage and Tourism.